Fire-escape



(No Model.)

s.-J. GREY.

FIRE ESCAPE.

No. 438,542. I Patented Oct. 14, 1890 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAVIL JESTIOE GREY, OF MORGANTOWN, KENTUCKY.

Fl RE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 438,542, dated October 14, 1890.

Application filed February 11, 1890- Serial No, 340,006. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAVIL J ESTICE GREY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Morgantown, in the county of Butler and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to fire-escapes, and has for its object the production of an effective and durable life-saving apparatus to be applied to buildings of any size and character.

The invention will be hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a front elevation of my invention applied to a building and ready for use, and Fig. 2 a central vertical section of same.

Reference being had to the drawings and the letters thereon,Aindicates plates of cast or wrought metal firmly secured to a building above and below a tier of windows by bolts, or ifapplied while the building is in course of construction said plates may be embedded a sufficient distance in the masonry. Plates A are each drilled at the proper intervals on either side of the windows for the reception of wire ropes, Wrought-iron rods or tubes B O D, secured in position by nuts a above and below plates A, respectively, and j am-nuts b on the opposite sides thereof.

In the upper ends of rods 0 are located sheaves E, the function of which will hereinafter appear.

Rods D serve as a track or way whereon the car ascends and descends, being secured to said rods by sliding joints.

The platform of the car consists in two parallel plates F and G, the latter of which is a suitable distance below the former to insure the greatest strength, both leaching from side to side, loosely embracing track-rods D, and themselves joined by rods 0, which, extending some distance above, terminate in a loop loosely encircling rods D, and forming another bearing upon the same. These rods 0 also serve to receive the hook members of hinges d, forming part of doors H, which open outward upon the platform, and when closed may serve to shield occupants of the car from flames shooting from windows which the car must pass in its descent. The doors H are provided with projecting lips at their inner upper corners, which overlap when closed, leaving below a vertical slot between the edges of the two doors, in which a brake-lever moves, as will hereinafter appear.

To the plate F is bolted the metallic floor of the car I, which is braced by right-angled triangle brackets e e, riveted in position with an apex thereof resting on the upper surface of plate G. Said floor I is provided with a suitable number of stanchions f, supporting a hand-rail g, to prevent persons falling from the car while in its descent, and at the front thereof is hinged a short ladder m to assist persons in reaching the ground in safety when circumstances are such as to prevent the car resting thereon, as in case of an areaway.

Below the car is located an all-important element of my invention namely, the brake mechanism-which consists in a stout plate of wrought metal J, also connecting rods D; but in this plate the apertures h, through which said rods pass, are elongated slightly, and the ends of the plate are bent up between rods 0 and D at right angles and are provided with openings 1'. Above and below elongated apertures h are metallic blocks j, rivetedtogether at their centers, permitting of a lateral movement in the direction of the slots. To these blocks j is rigidly secured a stout leaf-spring K, on the convex center of which plate G of the platform rests, in which position itis secured by a bolt passing through both and extending up through plate F above the floor I of the car.

To the under side of plate J is firmly secured a bar a, which passes up back of all of said plates a height equal to that of bolt 10, where it serves as a fulcrum for a leverlL of the second class, which operates through the medium of bolt is upon spring K for regulating the descent of the car, as will be hereinafter described.

M indicates counter-weights, which slightly overbalance the weight of the car and its brake mechanism, and being provided with grooves in their sides, partly embracing rods B O, are designed to move freely thereon, the rods serving as guides or ways.

N represents wire ropes secured to the counter-weights M, passing up over sheaves E and connected to openings 13 in plate J.

0 indicates another wire rope secured to the device in order that it may be operated from the ground should this be found necessary.

The extreme lower ends of rods D are e11- circled by springs l, intended to break the fall if the car should by any means make too rapid a descent.

The parts being substantially as described, the operation in case of fire is as follows: Persons having entered the car through an open window, their weight operates upon spring K, through the medium of bolt 7a, to compress or flatten the spring. This forces blocks j to the outer ends of apertures h and causes them to exert great force upon rods D, the friction produced thereby preventing the car from moving until the lever L in the hand of an operator is raised, the result of which is to relieve the pressure on spring K and therefore upon the rods D, and the car descends more or less rapidly just in accordance with the manipulation of the lever.

It is obvious that the device may be put to other uses than that of a fire-escape, as it would afford an excellent balcony; and, furthermore, a bell or signal might be located at each window to be struck by the passing car; or the rods B, O, and D might consist of pipes, to which hose could be coupled and thepipes used to convey as many streams of water to the top of the building, without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a fire-escape, the combination of a track or way, a car constructed to slide upon said way, an automatic friction-brake applied by the weight of the load of the car, and a brake-releasing mechanism operated direct from the car, substantially as described.

2. In a fire-escape, the combination of a frame consisting of way-rods and connectingplates, a car adapted to move vertically thereon supported upon a platform by one or more brackets and provided with baflie-plates or doors at the rear thereof having a space between their inner edges to admit a brake operating lever and overlapping lips above, a counter-weight connected to the car bya rope passing over a sheave, and a brake mechanism, substantially as described.

3. In a fire-escape, the combination of a frame consisting of way-rods and connectingplates, a car adapted to travel vertically thereon supported upon a platform and provided with baffle-plates or doors at the rear thereof, and a ladder hinged to the front, counter weights having grooved sides for engaging vertical guideways and connected to the car by ropes passing over sheaves, coil-sprin gs encircling the lower end of the ways, anda brake mechanism, substantially as described.

4. In a fire-escape, the combination of a frame consisting of way-rods and connectingplates, a car supported upon a platform, baffie-plates, counter-weights connected to the car by ropes passing over sheaves, and a brake mechanism consisting of brake blocks attached to a leaf-spring and adapted to be thrown in contact with way-rods on which the car travels by compression of the spring automatically and released by operation of a lever located in the car, substantially as described.

5. In a fire-escape, the combination of a frame consisting of way-rods and connectingplates, a car supported upon a platform, baffle-plates, counter-weights connected to the car by ropes passing over sheaves, and a brake mechanism consisting of a leaf-spring secured to the bottom of the platform and provided with brake-blocks at its ends secured in elongated slots in a plate beneath and adapted to be thrown in contact with way-rods by compression of the spring automatically and released through the medium of a lever fulcrumed in a standard secured to the bot-tom plate, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

SAVIL JESTICE GREY.

Witnesses:

S. A. TERRY, \VM. E. DYRE. 

